The Palatka daily news. (Palatka, Fla.) 1884-1888, 1887-06-29
GAZING AT CORPSES.
A QUINTET or LADIES IN A SAN
FRANCISCO MEDICAL COLLEGE.

Brave Schoolgirls in Search Of Anatomi-
cal neutrality-suspicious. the Horrors ct
the Disxeeting I:oom-In No Hurry to
Go Away.
The sad eyed janitOr of the Cooper
Medical college was carefully picking
handsome catiaver the other afternoon,
when his work was interrupted by the
appearance of four bright eyed, rosy
checked damsels and lady, who, though
slightly - of her teens, has lost none of
the charms of young womanhood- As the
five approached, the janitOr threw a cloth
over the pickle vat and in some surprise
asked the young ladies what they wanted.
''We have come to see-we want to see,
you know-well, we have come to look at
the college, said the eldest of the four
girls, blushing frishtfully and contem-
platinT the cracks in tie floor with great
earnestness. But, my dear young lady,
this Is er-tlead bodies" said the janitor,
very much embarrassed. The young ladies
looked at each other, and painful silence
ensucd, until the first speaker produced
letter from leading physician and a
member of the college faculty, ordering
the janitOr to show the girls around the
place This settles il, " snid the janitor,
but he shook his head obviously, as with
slow, protesting steps and niggardliness
of welcome, he introduced some show
specimens To their notice. They will be
bringing n kindergarten here next, TO give
the infants object lessons in anatomy"
grumbled the urticulatOr of skeletons, as
he carefully killed ~ lily which was brows-
ing ON the Occipital bone of n late deced-
emit ''But it is all right; if the faculty
can stand il, / can"
on KNOWLEDGE BENT.
The young ladies' meanwhile made the
most oftheir time and inspected carefully
the anatomical wonders which the physi-
clan ordered laid open to them. Such an
unusual thing as the visit of four young
girls To such place naturally attracted
notice, and it was stated that the girls
were part of a class in one of tne public
schools and their chaperone was their class
teacher. This was found to he correct,
and the teacher admitted that she had in
PRODUCED object lessons in anatomy rs n
course for girls after school hours One
of the studies laid down this year is fe-
male physiology, and during the course of
one Of the teachers lectures she remarked
that she hal gazed upon the spinal col.
unD of man once, AMI it was as large as
her thumb, which she would not have
credited without actual sight
The girls were amazed and their curios-
ity was aroused If their teacher had
viewed he remains of n corpse why should
not they? was their modest Interrogation.
Some of them have an ambition to be-
come noted members of the medical fra
ternity, and the books had not arrived
from the east, and not n chart or anything
that would give them authentic informa-
ton was in their possession, they held a
hasty consultation and decided to visit the
medical college. They asked the teacher
to accompany them She, anxious to as
sist them in their research for knowledge,
willingly gave her consent
TOOK 1T ALL IN.
The instructions to the janitor were
final and told him what rooms to show
them through They passed from one
room to another, expressing their delight
and satisfaction as they beheld objects
which We're of uncommon interest, and
mysteries were raised. 81 guess you will
not want to 90 in here" said the janitor
as they came to the dissecting room.
care they cutting up any one," asked the
oldest girl mOdestly, while the teacher
held back, repenting that she had left her
boarding hou:4> The janitor Informed
them That operations in that room were
suspended for the present, and the young
ladies' said they would go In
mo" exclaimed the teacher with ami
nation, there might he n subject in there
I'm n high state of decomposition" But
the girls thought that not to visit this de-
partmcnt would spoil the feature of the
trip, and they went in On N marble slab
n magnificent specimen of femininity,
and just opposite WAS an AdOnis in the
sleep of the blest, ready for the cruel cary
ing of the dissecting knife. The sight
was one that would cast terror into the
hearts of the supt rstitious if viewed on n
dark night, but the young ladies' beheld
the anatomical wonders with interested
and marked composure- On these OBJ
jects their eyes became entranced, and il
was with some physical effort that their
teacher encouraged them to leave the dis
sectins parlor and go into another room
where complete assortment of medical
bric-;.-brac could ne seen in glass jars
Since visiting the museum of natural
wonders the young ladies' feel much en-
couragcJ and have taken up the new study
with fresh energy.-James Harvie in
Pioneer Press.